ComLax Guide to Boston; Official NCAA Laxperience

The lacrosse world is back in Foxborough, Mass., for the 2012 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship Weekend. The games at Gillette Stadium will be the weekend's focus, of course, but there's plenty of ways to fill the time between contests. IL offers a few suggestions.

Also, some pro players, coaches and industry folks gave some suggestions of where to eat, what to do, and where to hang in Boston. Read that here.

Eat, Drink, Dance

Patriot Place:

Just in its first legs of completion when last the lacrosse world descended on Foxborough, this New England Patriot-owned mega-entertainment complex has fully evolved, and now features more than 1.3-million square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment. There's the simple pleasures of Qdoba and Olive Garden to get a large family through the day, while those looking for something more upscale can try Bar Louie or Tavolino Pizza Gourmet. Sports fans may want to work their way into Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill or the CBS Scene Restaurant and Bar. Hanging around Foxborough Saturday night? Showcase Live will be the place to get funky with live music.

More Lacrosse

Fans who arrive early to Massachusetts can check out the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III and Division I-II North-South Senior All-Star games on Friday at historic Harvard Stadium. Army head Joe Alberici will serve in the same capacity for the North team, while the South squad will be led on the sidelines by Lehigh coach Kevin Cassese and Towson coach Shawn Nadelen. Check out the full rosters here. After the games, head over the Charles River to Harvard Square for libations at John Harvard's Brew House or Grendel's Den.www.usila.orgwww.harvardsquare.com

Museums

Boston Children's Museum:

308 Congress St.

Your gaggle of young laxers have made it through a full day of lacrosse and they're still not tuckered out? Check out this stalwart of the Boston museum scene, which has been entertaining children for 100 years. A favorite spot? Johnny's Workbench, where kids can work with real hand tools.www.bostonkids.org

History

The Freedom Trail:

Various Locations, Boston
In Boston and love America? Then this is a requisite, especially if you're staying in the city. This 2.5-mile red-brick walking trail takes travelers to 16 different national historic sites that connect back to the time of the American Revolution. Spots include Boston Common, the site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and the U.S.S. Constitution. While on the walk, stop by Quincy Market for a bit. A perfect way to spend a few hours on Sunday before the DII and DIII championships.www.thefreedomtrail.org

Nightlife

Fenway:

Even if you're not a Red Sox fan (which a lot of Mid-Atlantic and Long Island attendees probably aren't), head out to this famous Boston neighborhood for a good night out. Crowd favorites include Beer Works Brewery, Cask ’N Flagon, The Lansdowne Pub and the Bleacher Bar. www.fenwaybars.com

The official NCAA Laxperience Fan Fest

LaXperience Fan Fest is the hottest place to be leading up to the opening faceoff. Fans of all ages can check out interactive games and activities, purchase official NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships merchandise, and take home giveaways from NCAA Corporate Champions and Partners. The free, fun-filled event features Boston talent, including local bands performing on the Enterprise Main Stage. Highlights include: Mike Powell meeting fans at the Capital One Cup Fan Zone (Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Monday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), the Buick Lacrosse Shooting Zone where you can test your skills, and the Reebok Lacrosse Watermelon Challenge.

COMLAX Championship Experience

Located across from the stadium

A complete COMLAX store will be on site with sales on all apparel, gear, a shooting gallery and raffles, prizes and huge giveaways. Inside Lacrosse will be giving away team cheer cards and magazines, selling ILGear.com T-shirts and more. Warrior players will be signing autographs. That schedule is below:

Crooked Arrows at Championship Weekend

Crooked Arrows, the first mainstream movie featuring the sport of lacrosse, will have a major presence at this weekend’s Final Four extravaganza at Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA. Producers Mitchell Peck and J. Todd Harris are bringing in the movie’s hero Native American team from upstate New York to make appearances throughout the weekend.

The movie, which opened to strong business in 17 cities mostly on the east coast on May 18th will open nationally on over 300 screens on June 1st. The picture, starring Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), has been enthusiastically received by both critics and audiences. The Boston Globe said the film “scores as a family film with some terrific action,” while Baltimore Sun said the movie has “a touch of magic.” The movie, shot on Boston’s North Shore last summer, was produced in association with the Onondaga Nation and sponsored by US Lacrosse

The weekend kicks off with a Youth Lacrosse Event at Gillette Stadium Field at 6pm where the team, consisting of top lacrosse players, will be putting on a clinic and signing autographs. At 8pm Friday evening, the Crooked Arrows team will be introducing the rock band Fighting Friday.

On Saturday morning, the movie’s stars will be introducing the movie itself in a special 11AM screening at Patriot Place, where the movie is currently playing. Seating is limited, so be sure to get your tickets early. Crooked Arrows will also have a store at Patriot Place for the weekend dedicated to Crooked Arrows apparel and memorabilia. Cast members will be signing autographs at the store Saturday from 11:00-12:30 before the first Division 1 game.

At 1PM on Saturday, the Crooked Arrows crew will visit Fanfest outside Gillette Stadium, where they will be meeting fans and signing autographs at the Massachusetts Youth Lacrosse League (MYLL) tent before and after the first game of the day. Then, at 2pm on Saturday the team will be doing a special appearance at the CBS Scene restaurant right before the action starts at 2:30pm. The team will also be introduced at a concert featuring the Risky Business band at 7:00 PM on Saturday evening.

On Sunday at 10:15 AM-10:50AM, the team will greet movie goers at the theater at Patriot Place & invite everyone back after the film to the Crooked Arrows pop up store at Patriot Place (K1) from11:00 AM- 12:45 PM for a Meet & Greet/Autograph Session. Then everyone will be off to the D2 and D3 championship games where the team will be signing autographs at the MYLL tent between games.

Finally, on Championship Monday, the star studded team will start the day the Crooked Arrows store at Patriot Place from 10:00-11:20 before heading over to the stadium to sign autographs at Fanfest and then attending the NCAA Lacrosse finals at the stadium.